Apparatus for smokeless combustion



Jan. 8, 1924. 1,480,130

v N. B. WALES APPARATUS FOR SMOKELESS COMBUSTION Filed March l8, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet? zlwwntoz Jan. 8, 1924.

N. B. WALES APPARATUS FOR SMOKELESS COMBUSTION Filed March 18, '1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ucnfol Mi/zaniel Miag wazifiw 1;. a. Wm, or sosrou, mssacnusms, assrenea r0 warm s'roxnn comm, 6F LBDALE, MICHIGAN, AGORPOEATION @F'MICHIG AIfl.

APPATUS FOB SMOKE COHBUSTION.

Application filed 1M 18,

To all whomz't may concern: I I

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL B. Wants,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in A. paratus for Smokeless Combustion, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of promoting smokeless combustion in boiler furnaces and to apparatus for carrying it' out.

The main pur ass of this invention is to' provide for the introduction of air currents on jets into the fuel bed in such a manner that a' portion will penetrate downwardly and cause the more volatile and bituminous products to burn within the confines of the fuel bed. I 4

In the detailed description which follows,

I shall refer to the accompanying drawings in whichFigures 1, 2 and 3 are conventional sectional views, more or less diagrammatic, of a boiler fire-box illustrating the principles of combustion upon which my inentary front elevation, partly in section, o a boiler,

, showing my invention applied to the fire boxes; Fi 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on t e line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a similar vertical sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 4, except that thedoor is shown in the open position. 1

The air which supports combustion of the fuel on the gratesof the fire boxes of furnaces, etc, is usually sup lied from the ash pit below the ate an passes upwardly therethrough. is produces a rapid combustion of the fuel, resulti in an intense heat, but the strong upwar draft carries ofi large volumes of volatiles from the green coal and, if the temperature of the volatiles is below their ignition point, they are discharged into the stack as a dense cloud of smoke. 7

It has been heretofore roposed to overcome this tendency to pruce smoke and to induce a more intense burning at the surface of the fuel bed by introducing air der a forced draft, above the fuel b. Under certain conditions'this is beneficial and results in a somewhat better combustion and consequently diminishes the amount of smoke to'a certain extent, but it is far from satisfactory. 7

l have 'iscovered that the else y be 1921. semi m. 45;,422.

practically eliminated by forcing air over the top of the fuel bed at such an angle as to reduce a downward component suflicient to rive the volatiles and smoke downwardly partially through the bed of incandescent fuel, thereby causing the ignition of said volatiles and combustible elements of the smoke within the fuel bed and driving the flames to the back of the bed as illustrated in Fig. 1 wherein the draft of air is directed over the fuel bed at an angle of about 15. If the angle of the entering draft is too great, the downward component will be sufcient to drive the flames downwardly into or through the grate bars, as illustrated in Fig, 2, thereby endangering the integf rity of the ate, causing it to warp and eventually d e stroying it. hand, if the downward component is insuflicient or entirely lacking, as when the forced draft is directed upwardly, so that there is a corresponding upward component, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the evil will be increased since it is evident that the upward com ponent tends to magnify the escape of volatiles and smoke from the fire bed. It will be evident therefore, that there is a critical angle which is best suited foreach articular condition, depending upon the e th of the fire bedand the distance above t e bed at which the forced draft is introduced. I

On the other have accordingly devised means for readily adjusting the height of the nozzle and the" 7 angle of inclination.

In the. drawings, 10 represents the setting of the usual commercial steam boiler, having fire boxes arranged in'the ordinary manner with outwardly swinging fire doors 12,12. These doors are universally provided with rotatable shutters mounted in centrally dis posed openin I take advantage of this construction y removing the shutters and securing an attachment with an adjustable nozzle oventhe opening. The nozzle it may be in the form 0 an annular shell or castin in which the ,op'eni is eccentrically locate so that it may be justed in height by rotating'the shell about its axis, whilethe outer periphery is rounded or arcuate in section so that the. nozzle may be adjusted to diderent angles by laterally shifti the sition of the shell. The nozzle is carried a plate 15 bolted or otherwise secured to the front plate of the fire-door and carri an integral upwardly extending tubular tion ct Fig. 4L.

ember or hopper 11?. The nozzle li moy be secured in nny edjusted position b moons of e bolt or'edjusting screw l8 whic posses through the well oi: the be per it? end resses or joins the nozzle mom or it egnin'st its nrcunte sent in the plots .15. A blower or ten driven by on electric motor 21 mounted on t suitable brnchet 23, is con-.

nmted to e stotionury meniiiold 24 hnving downwnrdly' extending brenches 25, 25'

which connect with the ends of the hoppers nozzle members.

The smoke period extends only for e limited time otter the tiring of fresh cool into the tire boxes end 11 therefore provide menus for uutomuticelly starting the electric motor when either door is ope end for stopping the motor utter e predetermined length of time. For this purpose l hove illustrated tit 30 e conventionnl time switch heving u projecting push-button or stem 31 which projects in thepnth oi the door so thet it will be pushed inwardly when the door is swung open to thereby close the circuit of the motor end stert the blower in operution. Any suiteble time switch may be em loyed, such for instonce es shown in U. S. extents 921,761, May is, rem; messes, July ii, 19M; or-l,l39,066, Moy ll, 1915. Accordingly, us soon us the door is opened the blower will ceuse e drett to blow through the nozzle owning 25 into the fire-box so that e lcrge volume ot ndditionel oxggen res will be supplied elong with the 1 fuel which is being thrown upon the grntes and utter the door is closed the blnst. oil air will be directed through the menitold 24, .e opening 25 end through the nozle 14 ct just the proper magic to produce the necessary downwerd component to force the voletiles end smoke inwerdly into the body of incendescent fuel and this will be continued throughout the smoke period end et the end of thisperiod the switch will eutometicelly-breah the electric circuit to stop the operotion of the blower.

till

From the whore description it will be observed thet ll hove provided e method of producing procticelly smokeless combustion of cool end other solid tuels by supplying t ,me

the necessury ndditionul quentity of oxygen throughout the stolring period end thereeiter muinteining seid edditionel supply of" .so that its distence above the fire bed many he vuried us well us its single of inclinution. l hove, described in detail the perticuler construction illustreted in the drawings for the purpose of clearly disclosing one embodiment of my invention but it will be evident to'engineers that various chonges end modifications may be made without deporting therefrom.

ll cleim: i 1; Apporutus tor edecting smokeless combustion or n solid fuel in u combustion chamber provided with the usuul fire door, comprising 2, motor-actuated blower, e

menifold connected thereto end terminating in on air nozzle positioned above. the fire door end directed inwnrdly toward the opening thereof, on eir hopper fastened to seid tire door end registering with suid nozzle Ill when the door is closed, suid hopper protruding through snid door und terminuting in esecond nozzle. v

2. Appurntus for efiecting smokeless combustion of e solid fuel, comprising an, combustion chamber provided with u fire door, on eir blower, and an eir conduit or monitold connected to suid blower. end comprising seperetely supported inwurdly directed nozzles, end means for cousin sold blower to discherge into, the fire oor opening through the nozzles in series whenthe door ice is closed and tln'ough one nozzle when. the

door is open.

3. Appnrutus connected thereto, is niiold' connecting seid blower to mid hopper when the door is closed, it switch "controlling seid motor 7 for etlecting smokeless combustion in the fire boxes' of coercinl end edopted to breeh the circuit eutometicelly letter e redctwmined period,- end. menus nctueted y the opening of the door for closing seid switch.

ture.

n In testimony whereof I ctlix my signe- 

